60 posts
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Post by annoyingtwit on Mar 15, 2015 20:47:35 GMT
Anyone got any opinions on the HB BigTone guitar? I'm not planning to buy one myself, but this is IMHO an interesting model.
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1,481 posts
Disclosures: Everything I don't like I can modify.
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Post by blablas on Mar 15, 2015 20:59:16 GMT
My opinion, for what it is worth from a bass player : Looks very good, but I don't like it in white. I'm a sucker for these big arch-top type guitars even though I don't own one or want one.
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Post by JAC on Mar 15, 2015 21:28:28 GMT
Contrary to blablas, I do like it in white Unfortunately it's strings are too thin for my fat fingers!
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Post by daveb on Mar 16, 2015 1:27:56 GMT
Ordered up the orange one this evening! Will report back when it arrives, hopefully in a couple of days
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60 posts
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Post by annoyingtwit on Mar 16, 2015 8:44:31 GMT
Detailed review please. I did say that I'm not going to be buying one. That doesn't stop me being very curious about it, however.
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Post by daveb on Mar 16, 2015 10:09:02 GMT
I did say that I'm not going to be buying one. So did I. Damn Internet This is certainly a more unknown purchase, what with the BigTone being brand new and with only one written review on Thomann's website so far. Based on the little info out there, I'm really not sure what to expect! Like you I see a Gretsch-a-like, and am hoping for heavy doses of Brian Setzer vibe when I plug it in. But Thomann list it in the jazz archtops section, the only YouTube video is of a jazz improv, and it looks from the pictures like the body is a good bit deeper than any Gretsch. But hey, how big a risk is it really, at UK £150 delivered? All part of the fun.
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Post by daveb on Mar 19, 2015 0:15:03 GMT
Interesting. Thomann appear to have pulled the white BigTone from the website. Strange for such a new product (only released in Feb)
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60 posts
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Post by annoyingtwit on Mar 19, 2015 8:48:22 GMT
This happened with the HB60 semi-hollow basses. They appeared, lasted a while, then disappeared colour by colour. They returned again later on. I would guess that they ran out of stock. And that since these instruments sold well, they'll be back in the future. I have to keep warning people of the quality of my memory. But in the big Harley Benton thread on the German music forum (a must-read for HB fans IMHO) www.musiker-board.de/board-events-bt/549556-lasse-thernoe-harley-benton-mastermind-13.html IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, I think they said that they might order a small number of instruments of a new model, then order more if they sell.
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Post by doofus on Mar 19, 2015 9:49:44 GMT
Nice, it says Billy Duffy to me I've never played one of those big archtops. I think that makes sense about them making a small run of guitars to gauge interest/sales. I read somewhere that it might have to do with copyright infringement & all that malarky! I hope not, I want one of those Ric lookalike models.
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Post by daveb on Mar 19, 2015 10:35:26 GMT
Ah yes, the Billy Duffy 'Gretsch White Falcon' connection - that could well explain why the white model sold out first. I'm pretty sure it's not a copyright infringement thing - the orange model would have been pulled too if that were the case. The annoying thing about Thomann pulling models from the website when stock runs out is that you can no longer read the reviews. But I suppose it makes sense from a marketing point of view - you don't want your website littered with "out of stock" notices against your most popular sellers. Now, when is mine going to arrive, I wonder? Ordered Sunday evening, still doesn't show up in ParcelForce tracking... Grrrr
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60 posts
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Post by annoyingtwit on Mar 19, 2015 11:25:53 GMT
IMHO the white ones look better in online pics, though the orange ones look better in the flesh. That's based on other brands, but including the Shine version. (Which may well be the same guitar as the HB).
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Post by doofus on Mar 19, 2015 12:56:59 GMT
Ah yes, the Billy Duffy 'Gretsch White Falcon' connection - that could well explain why the white model sold out first. I'm pretty sure it's not a copyright infringement thing - the orange model would have been pulled too if that were the case. The annoying thing about Thomann pulling models from the website when stock runs out is that you can no longer read the reviews. But I suppose it makes sense from a marketing point of view - you don't want your website littered with "out of stock" notices against your most popular sellers. Now, when is mine going to arrive, I wonder? Ordered Sunday evening, still doesn't show up in ParcelForce tracking... Grrrr Yeah that Prinz model I bought was pulled an hour after I bought it, I wanted to write another review & get a €10 voucher to spend on that Ric copy, still not made up my mind whether I want a 12 or 6 string. you cant write a review unless it's up on their site. Yeah waiting on parcels sucks. Mind you on a similar note I ordered a Mustang bridge for my Squier VM Jazzmaster on the 13th March from China for the princely sum of £5.71 that includes the P+P :oand it arrived this morning 19th March, well impressed.
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Post by daveb on Mar 20, 2015 18:51:46 GMT
So, the BigTone arrived today. Bit of a mixed bag, this one. First, this thing is HUGE. I mentioned above that it looked bigger than a Gretsch, and it is - 3.25" deep on the body, to be precise. For comparison, a Gibson ES335 is 2", and the biggest Gretsch models are 2.75". On the plus side, this means that the guitar has a lovely tone. On the downside, it's kind of uncomfortable to play standing up. I haven't had the chance to play it much yet (and probably won't bother - see below) but from a quick audition through a clean '65 Twin Reverb preset on my Mustang III, the neck pickup has lots of guts & presence, the bridge pickup less so (it feels quite muffled). The unbranded Bigsby-style trem works just fine. I ran through a couple of standard Stray Cats tunes, and was smiling at the end, so this guitar definitely has something going for it. Initial impressions - looks as good as I hoped it would. More of a visible wood grain than this picture shows. Binding is done nicely. Clear pickguard tacky looking, not in keeping with the rest of the guitar. Yet another half-arsed fret levelling fail from Thomann's factory. My TE-70 was exactly the same. Notice how the frets have been roughly ground flat, but not crowned or polished. Unplayable, feels like sandpaper. I would far prefer the factory to leave the frets intact. Roller bridge is an oddity. Looks decent enough quality, but since the whole bridge (which is floating i.e. NOT glued to the guitar) just rocks back & forth when you use the tremolo, it's kind of redundant. While I'm in a moaning mood - this should never have passed quality control. Curious about the construction, I whipped out the cheapo eBay inspection camera . Wiring is nicely done, internal construction is solid and clean. There is no bracing inside the guitar, other than this 2"x1" support post directly under the bridge. Internal view of the pickups. This certainly is a full hollow body guitar! Unfortunately, I will almost certainly be trying out Thomann's returns policy on this guitar, due to this at the heel of the neck:
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Post by daveb on Mar 20, 2015 19:19:34 GMT
Update. This guitar is a riot to play. The bridge pickup sounds just fine now I've set it to the correct height. The tone is big, ballsy, very vintage to my ears. Although I haven't played an archtop or Gretsch style guitar before, I do have a nice Hohner SE 35 (ES335 copy from the 80's) which sounds great. This BigTone is a whole different sound. It makes you play bigger because it sounds and feels bigger.
It sounds & feels so good, I'd even considering keeping it despite that hairline lacquer crack at the neck. It could well be stable, and if it gets worse there's always Thomann's 3 year warranty to fall back on.
Oh, and it looks far nicer with that cheesey clear scratchplate OFF!
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Post by doofus on Mar 20, 2015 19:40:27 GMT
WoW You're right about it being big, definitely a looker though, it looks fantastic. I'd grow myself a big Brian Setzer quiff if I was keeping that :)You're really getting the rough with the smooth regarding quality issues, That's a bummer for sure. That's the weirdest looking lacquer crack I've seen, I cant quite make out what's happened to that. Is that chrome pickup missing some metal or is it a trick of the light shadow doodah! Very strange.
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